Contents

Early life and education

The oldest of four siblings, Eleanor Rosalynn Smith was born in Plains, Georgia to Allethea "Allie" Murray Smith and Wilburn Edgar Smith.[1] After Wilburn died in 1940,[2] 13-year-old Rosalynn helped her mother Allie with her dressmaking business, as well as caring for the other children.[1] After high school, Rosalynn attended Georgia Southwestern College at Americus, graduating in 1946.[3]

Marriage and family

Rosalynn started dating Jimmy Carter after her freshman year in college. Carter, the older brother of Rosalynn's best friend, [2] was a cadet at the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland. [1] The couple married at the Plains Methodist Church on July 7, 1946 and moved to Norfolk, Virginia, Carter's first military posting. [2] The Carters had four children: John William (born 1947 in Virginia), James Earl III (born 1950 in Hawaii), Donnel Jeffrey (born 1952 in Connecticut) and Amy Lynn (born 1967 in Georgia). [1][2] When Jimmy Carter's father died in 1953, he left the Navy and the family returned to Plains, where Carter farmed peanuts and Rosalynn handled the bookkeeping for the farm. [1]

First Lady of Georgia

First Lady of the United States

Life after the White House

Books

Rosalynn has written five books. They are:

First Lady from Plains – 1984: Her autobiography

Everything to Gain: Making the Most of the Rest of Your Life – coauthored by Jimmy Carter, 1987

Helping Yourself Help Others: A Book for Caregivers – coauthored by Susan K. Golant, 1994